New handheld probe for optical point-of-care diagnostics developed

A new system has been developed that could give doctors access to powerful medical imaging capabilities in a convenient handheld form.

University and industry researchers in the Netherlands and France have created a handheld probe that combines two imaging modalities, ultrasound and photoacoustics, in an ultra-compact form.

This was achieved by designing a miniaturised laser, based on an efficient and inexpensive laser diode, that can generate pulses with energies higher than had ever been achieved before with diode technology.

The system shrinks a technology that once filled a whole lab bench down to a computer screen and a small probe about the size of a stapler. It can thus be easily transported between rooms in a clinical setting.

Khalid Daoudi, a researcher in the biomedical photonic imaging group at the University of Twente, said: "Some applications targeted are rheumatoid arthritis in finger joints, oncology, cardiovascular disease and burn wounds."

It is hoped that this advancement will also help to popularise the medical use of photoacoustic technology, which is still not widely used due to cost and size issues.